Step aside Connell, the sexy priest is back, and he's even wearing a chain.
As the past few weeks have firmly established, we all fancy Paul Mescal. Women, men, Kardashians... everyone is a fan of
Normal People's leading man. But long before lockdown there was another Irish actor making international pulses race: Andrew Scott.
Though he only object the stuff of global lust thank to his role as the 'sexy priest' in hit comedy series
Fleabag, here in Ireland we've been swooning over the Dublin actor for years. And now there's one more reason to get the smelling salts out – Andrew Scott has made a recording of reading of a beautiful poem to raise funds for
Men Against Cancer Ireland. Weak fully doesn't cover how it makes us feel.
Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke posted the video to her Instagram this week, where it has since been viewed over three million times. It features Andrew Scott reading a piece called
Everything is Going to be Alright, written by Belfast poet Derek Mahon.
The video shows Andrew sitting against a simple white wall in dappled sunlight as he recites the poem. Is that a chain visible beneath his linen shirt? Why yes it is.
Just 12 lines long, the poem itself is a wonderfully evocative piece of writing that captures the transformative power of even the most banal of moments, and has a simple, reassuring message: everything is going to be alright. As Emilia Clarke wrote in the caption accompany the post: "As a great sufferer from depression myself, I find a small moment like this, a suddenly splash of serenity and beauty, can provide the impetus needed turn my mood around."
We cried, we swooned, we watched it about 100 times, and we did genuinely feel uplifted by the words - and the performance. The gauntlet has now been thrown down: show us your best sonnet Paul Mescal.
Men Against Cancer Ireland provides non-medical support, counselling and information to men affected by prostate cancer and their families. To find out more about their work and make a donation, click here. 
